One Punch-Gamer: UHA Chronicles
by SaintInfernalNeos
Summary: Between a great crisis and the next, what does the United Heroes Association do? Why, having fun and dealing with normal teenage problems, of course! At least, as normal as a group as bizarre as theirs can be, but hey, at least they try, right? [Takes place between OPG 1 and OPG 2. Sidestories-collection]
1. Chronicle 1: Playing with Bullets I

Helloooo, my dear readers! Here is Saint again, with this 'unexpected' spin-off to give you all!

Well, not so much as I vaguely mentioned I was considering it during OPG:CoF's latest chapters. Basically, this is a small relaxed series of 'chronicles' about what our dear Heroes got up to between both major fics, as there was quite the noticeable time-skip between both, obviously, and I teased some things that happened there during Chains of Fate's second prologue :P

More importantly, though, is both to help give everyone a bit more of the 'classical' OPG feel, as I know CoF's plot and higher level of seriousness isn't everyone's cup of tea (Though Alicization's plot should be epic enough to make up for it as we keep going, in my humble opinion) and because I'm so busy these days because of my upcoming work practices that my writing speed had decreased notoriously, and these will be short and fun enough…probably XP It will also let us see the most 'human' side of the UHA, when there is no big plot on the horizon weighing down on them and they're just normal teenagers...well, not-so-normal teenagers that have kinda saved the world, 2 super AIs and a girl-turned-virtual-ghost, but you get the idea XP

That said, though, I won't bore you anymore and leave you all with the first of these 'chronicles'! To start off, and in honor to how the upcoming SAO Gameverse game, SAO Fatal Bullet, is coming out soon and almost all the characters GGO Avatars were already revealed, let's see the UHA having some fun in GGO :3!

Enjoy!

 **Disclaimer:** Neither SAO nor One Punch Man belong to me. I only use the plot of one and the idea of the other for my amusement and everyone's enjoyment!

* * *

 **Chronicle 1: Playing with Bullets**

 **February 28th, 2026. SPC Glocken City, Gun Gale Online. 12:15…**

Staring out into the post-apocalyptic city from atop a building, Asuna couldn't help but let a challenging smile appear on her face, feeling the dry virtual wind slightly blowing her hair backward.

"Heh…looks like it's going to fun exploring around here."

"Hmm, you may be right, but I can't really say I completely like it…" spoke a familiar voice from behind the chestnut-haired girl (Something she was happy for, given how long it had been since she had her IRL color inside the virtual world). "I mean, I know we haven't even gotten out into the field yet and that the game's genre is wildly different from ALO's, but…I just feel kind of naked without my wings and Justice…"

"Well, Leafa-chan, maybe that has something to do with your getup, you know?" playfully teased the Second in Command of the United Heroes Association to the girl she was, arguably, the closest in the world with. "After all, that suit somehow manages to cover most of you but still leave very little to the imagination."

What Asuna was referring to was, of course, the green and silver-white bodysuit (Skintight, of course) that covered most of the blonde girl's (And how strange, yet still charming, was to see her without her pointy Sylph ears) upper body, sans for the side of her hips, leaving her shoulders, arms and a noticeable cleavage exposed, rough fingerless gloves, greenish pants and knee-high silver metallic boots completing her attire.

Compare to it, the chestnut-haired girl's own clothes, white and magenta, had much more metal than cloth, combat armor in her central body, useless-looking wrist, shoulder and kneepads completing it, with several holsters around her waist and an overly long 'half skirt' being the major piece of actual fabric she wore.

"A-Asuna, don't say that!" complained the younger girl while blushing, barely resisting the urge of covering herself with her arms. "Thi-this equipment was a gift already, and more than decent enough, s-so I wasn't going to complain and have Sinon-san remove heaven and earth for something else…"

"Heh, I'm sure Sinonon would have been more than pleased of doing that for you, but you're kind of right…" mumbled the older of the two while shaking her head and looking down at the clothes she was wearing. "Knowing how currency works in this game, I already feel bad enough knowing that she and Sensei got equipment for everyone, even if they assured us it was no problem…"

Being honest, the only reason they, and the rest of their friends from the UHA, were there that day, was because GGO had suddenly come up with a surprising 'Offer' of one free week for anyone who wanted to 'test out' the game. Of course, the offer also extended to all currently paying Players, to make things fair.

In all honesty, the company in charge of the arguably most popular VRMMO worldwide (With ALO coming a close second after many recent events) still ended up winning, given that they had the chance of getting many new players hooked and willing to pay the monthly fee to experience the full game.

Asuna knew very well that, before joining them, Sinon had been one of those 'High-Grade Players', those who were able to keep playing the game without expending any actual money because they earned enough Credits to cover their monthly fee once they converted them to Yens, and maybe with some spare change for themselves.

That was still nothing compared to the so-called 'Professional Players' of GGO, though, who were, in the popular opinion, 'able to live the dream': Those able to actually LIVE off playing Gun Gale Online, earning enough from playing the game to actually cover their living expenses.

Honestly, they idea make the chestnut-haired girl shudder a little, especially as if was no secret how reclusive said players were outside the virtual world. Sure, she and her friends may play a lot, but only to spend more time together (Something useful when several of them lived many cities apart) and none of them was eager to spend more time playing than in reality.

They had enough of that with SAO, thank you very much.

So, when they had heard the news and the sniper of their group had asked if they would like to convert their accounts and have some fun with her, the group had been a bit hesitant, only accepting when it was sure all of them would be able to get the game and both Sinon and Kirito convinced them they would have no problems getting decent equipment.

After all, they both had ended up first and second place in the latest Bullet of Bullets. They had more than enough Credits to spare for such a thing, despite the UHA's size.

It was obvious more than one of their friends had actually wondered if that was okay, given that, while not massive, the amount of money both teens could make by just converting those into Yens was still noticeable, but they had quickly been waved off after saying how having fun all together was a good enough way of spending any kind of money.

Also, Sinon had said they would be 'paying her back' in a way. The next BoB was coming soon, and the Sniper was more than determined to keep her title of Best GGO Player (Especially now that Kirito wasn't participating and there were no super-powered lunatics ready to fuck things over).

"…well, worrying about this won't make us any good. What's done is done now." sighed Leafa while shaking her head. "We should go and meet with the others already; they're probably waiting for us…"

"Heh, yeah, you're probably right…" giggled Asuna while equipping and materializing her weapon, giving the assault rifle a troubled look, clearly not used to something so different from her rapier or her trusted swords. "Besides, I shouldn't be making fun of your clothes; these also feel kind of weird on me. I keep feeling that my arms and legs aren't armored enough…"

"And besides, it's not as if you haven't seen me with less…on…" trailed off as she realized what she had just said, the blonde girl's face turned scarlet in a second, her gaze moving towards the chestnut-haired one to see much of the same, both looking away with an awkward air.

It had already been some weeks since they decided to take their relationship with the boy they loved 'to the next level', and even if it had been only in the virtual world, for now, there was no denying that things had been a bit awkward after that every time they recalled the 'activities' out loud.

A complete opposite of when they were actually in the 'act', when awkwardness seemed to fly out of the window for them and Kirito, but that wasn't something they exactly went around commenting.

"Pro-probably not the best subject to talk about right now, eh?" chuckled the older of the two while the younger one nodded and materialized her machinegun, also looking very awkward with it, but very happy about changing the subject.

"Yu-yup! Let's go out there and shoot things!" declared Leafa with false cheer…before looking back at her friend and biting her lips. "…say, Asuna-san…you and Onii-chan haven't…you know…in the real world…?"

"Wha-wha…?! O-of course we haven't!" shouted the chestnut-haired girl while feeling her face about to combust. "I-if anything I should be the one asking that! Not only do you two live together, yo-you were also the one that started doing bolder things with him!"

"Tha-that has nothing to do with that! I-I would have told you right away if anything like that had happened!" protested the machinegun-user while waving her arms comically.

"We-well, same here, s-so don't go asking…!"

"Please, could you two stop, like, right now?" asked a familiar voice with a tinge of annoyance (And a lot of envy) in her tone, making both girls freeze and their heads to snap towards the rooftop's entrance, where 2 equally familiar females, and one small feathery dragon, were staring at them. "Because, frying Silica's brain aside, you're starting to make me feel dangerously annoyed…"

Just as Lisbeth had said, the youngest human member of the UHA seemed very out of it, her eyes swirling and her face red as she looked at both girls and beyond, like lost in some fantasy. There on GGO, while her usual pigtails remained, her new dark-blue and dark-red attire exposed way more skin than even her usual ninja one did, with a miniskirt exposing almost 3/4 of her legs, at least not counting the half covered by the warm-looking knee socks coming from her nor-quite boots (Seriously, why were those things metallic and trying to imitate sandals?). On her upper body, her entire belly and a small part of her lower chest were completely exposed, the rest covered by a high-collared and tight shirt-armor, over which a vest with long sleeves gave her enough modesty to not seem completely weird on her. Besides some metallic accessories on her wrists and hips (And some suspicious canisters around her right leg), bluish gloves completed her attire, though the hand holding her submachinegun seemed unusually limp as Pina tried to snap his partner out of wherever the two girls' talk had taken her mind.

In comparison, the pink-haired girl had a much more conservative and military appearance, with cargo shorts and a military vest over her silver and dark-pink clothes, white metallic gloves and boots completing her attire. Also, she had what looked like half a headphone over her right ear, which gave her an unusually 'serious' look, especially when added to her twitching eyebrows and the deadly-looking heavy shotgun she was causally slinging over her shoulders.

"Li-Liz, Silica-chan…ho-how long have you been there?" asked Asuna while making the most forced smile she had done in a long time.

"Enough to know what I'm probably going to be dreaming about tonight and for our self-proclaimed kunoichi's brain to short-circuit." growled the UHA's blacksmith before stomping towards them…and looking about to cry as she held onto Leafa's shoulders. "Kuuuuh, is SO unfair! Sure, it's no secret since you told us all the next day, but I haven't even kissed him yet and yet you two have already gone all the way! Do you know how hard is to accept that for someone two years older?! What am I doing wrong?! Why can't I get my perfect moment too?!"

"Li-Liz-san, ple-please calm down…" sweatdropped the blonde girl while her chestnut-haired friend tried and failed to contain her giggles at the sight.

Remembering that particular moment brought a complicated smile to her face, though. After all, they had decided that, if they were even going to try and make their bizarre group-relationship work, keeping secrets when it came to such things was not an option, and so they had gathered all their 'fellow girlfriends' and told them what they had done with Kirito in ALO that night of Valentine's Day.

Reactions had been…diverse, to say the least. Silica forcibly Logging Out because her face seemed to have spontaneously combusted had been quite a surprise, but Sinon almost suffering the same Fate even more so. The rest had seemed between extremely embarrassed, calculative and slightly jealous.

Except for Strea, obviously, who had happily decided to add fuel to the potential fire by proclaiming how she 'was next' in case anyone was thinking about it.

The former MHCP-002 hadn't yet tried to fulfill said declaration, though, nor had any of the others seemed to even hint at wanting to 'escalate' their still growing relationship with Kirito at such level, but a part of the Second in Command _knew_ it was just a matter of time…

"Ye-yeah, Liz, is not Leafa-chan's fault that you just seem to have bad luck with that…" chuckled the rifle-user while dispelling her earlier line of thought and smiling through the pouting glare her friend sent her way. "Besides, Silica-chan hasn't kissed Sensei yet either, remember?"

"…tha-that's right! What am I doing wasting time in fa-fa-fantasies like this?!" suddenly shouted Silica while coming back to her senses, scaring the shit out of her dragon partner. "I-it may be the virtual world, but still, one step at a time! I'm totally going to kiss Kirito-san today! Let's go, Pina! Our Ninja Way leads to victory!"

Those words said, the pig-tailed girl turned around and jumped off the building without hesitation, a tired-looking Pina flying after her. The three remaining girls blinked before walking towards the edge and looking down, watching the Acrobatics-Maxed kunoichi somehow maneuver herself through windows, metal cables and lampposts, landing perfectly on the street before running off.

"…li-like hell I'm letting HER, of all people, get a kiss before me! My self-esteem wouldn't survive a hit like that!" screamed the shotgun-user before running off towards the stairs, unwilling to let the youngest of their group to claim their shared boyfriend's lips before her.

Left alone on the rooftop once again, Asuna and Leafa exchanged a look before smiling and running after their friends.

Moments like these were what made them so glad of all the choices they had made, no matter how crazy others would have considered them.

* * *

Standing over the rocky formation, the lonely figure looked down at the robotic creatures circling what seemed like a destroyed car.

With nothing but ultimate determination shining in her reddish eyes, she raised the object on her hand.

 _Swooosh_

Shining with more power than the midday sun over the deserted wasteland, a greenish beam of energy shot upwards, taking the shape of a long blade, its light reflected on the warrior's eyes.

Then, in a single move, she jumped down, a scream announcing her presence with all the power and seriousness of…!

"Use The Force, Yuuki, ahahahah!"

…a young girl having the time of her life.

Not missing a beat, the lightsaber rip-off let the grinning purple-haired girl bisect the first of the robotic creatures with no effort, the other shocked robots turning around as she blurred forward, slashing away at them.

With the clothes she was wearing, very small reddish cargo shorts and purplish skintight top covering her whole upper body, shoulders and half her forearms, she was more than able to move like that with no effort, light armor over her chest, legs and wrists completing it, together with her knee-high boots and fingerless gloves.

All but one of the robotic mobs were dead in less than ten seconds, the last one barely managing to jump away and start charging a laser, aiming straight towards Yuuki's exposed back.

It didn't even have time to complete the attack before the swordswoman's free hand shot to her hip, aimed and shot the handgun she carried, all in an instant and without even turning back, hitting its cannon just as the beam finished charging.

The long-haired didn't even turn around when her last enemy blew up into an impressive fireball, never losing her happy smile.

After all, cool girls don't look at explosions.

"Man, that was cool!" happily declared the human-turned-virtual-ghost while pumping her fist into the air. "Comin here with everyone was really a great idea! What's next?!"

On cue, the sound of a powerful and furious engine echoed through the desert, making Yuuki blink and turn around in time to see an honest-to-God flying mecha emerging from over the sand dunes, the crude and menacing-looking machine glaring down at her as it aimed a massive rifle towards the virtual swordswoman, seemingly eager to avenge its fellow machines.

"Hey…that's unfair as hell, I only have a pistol and there is no way I can jump that high in here." whined the purple-haired girl before a massive energy projectile was discharged against her.

Not missing a beat despite her declaration and seeming inattentiveness, Yuuki jumped out of the way at the last second, rolling over the sand and hiding behind the destroyed vehicle in time for the next shot to make it shake.

The next one blew it up, but the virtual swordswoman emerged from the smoke unharmed, in time to swing her Photon Sword and cut the next energy blast in half, both of them exploding around her.

She was forced to run away while dodging to her utmost limits when the flying robot kept its assault, though, making her frown at her seemingly helpless situation.

The purple-haired girl had a terrifying level of skill and a monstrous reaction speed that only Kirito's absurd power could surpass, this was something that couldn't be denied. However, that was all, and while she could still rise victorious against most of her friends, that didn't change many in the UHA were better than her in one way or another.

Sinon could slash endless times faster than she did. Philia unsheathe her blade as much.

Silica could never hope to win against her in a straight fight, but her agility and acrobatics could keep her jumping around as long as the kunoichi wanted. Lisbeth wouldn't be able to even exchange blows with her without God Hand, but it would be a cold day in Hell before she could forge even the simplest weapon better than the blacksmith.

She may be able to beat Leafa in an aerial fight, but she would never outrun the girl in an actual flying race. And while even Asuna's reaction speed could never hope to match hers, her pseudo-sister was much faster on the ground than she could ever hope to be.

And finally, she had grown way too used to being 'Yuuki the Imp', with wings at her disposal and Excaliber at her side, ready to face anything with Holy Sword. None of which she possessed in GGO.

Some people would feel depressed at such thoughts. Or use them as misguided motivations to try and surpass themselves.

Yuuki felt neither.

Because all of that didn't mean she didn't like being worse than her friends in determined things…

"Yahooo! You shouldn't try and hurt my friends, Mr. Gundam!" declared a happy voice before the flying robot was engulfed in a rain of devastation.

 _RATATATATAT…!_

…but that she could always count on them to cover her with those skills.

"Go, Strea!" cheered the virtual swordswoman as she saw the MHCP standing atop the rocky formation she had jumped from earlier, a grin on her face as she casually unleashed Hell from the massive minigun she was carrying, all the Projection Lines of which seemed to suspiciously aim straight for the robot's weak points, making it unable to retreat as it kept getting Stun-Locked by critical hits. "Show him who is boss!"

"Can do, Yuuki!" happily replied her fellow red-eyed female while effortlessly adjusting her grip on the absurdly heavy weapon, advancing without a care in the world and making quite a bizarre sight.

It most likely was by the massive contrast between her expression/clothing and the brutal slaughtering she was unleashing with the overpowered weapon. After all, Strea's was dangerously treading the line between sexy and erotic, looking outright like some futuristic purple and lilac bodysuit that someone seemed to have purposefully designed to give a generous view of the AI's ample cleavage, which, coupled with the way in which all the 'armored' parts of it only seemed to accentuate how absurdly skintight it was, made her a sight that would have paralyzed any straight male.

Finally, the flying machine was able to escape the absurdly precise barrage from the extremely powerful but supposedly imprecise weapon, flying downwards to dodge any more bullets and all but catapulting itself towards the MHCP, almost touching the sand as it kept moving almost at ground level…

"Got you!"

…and as such more than in reach for Yuuki to jump on its back and, in a nigh-inhuman show of skill, pierce through the back of its head and most of its back with her not-lightsaber, the mecha's own momentum being its undoing.

All the while, the minigun-user kept smiling, even as the humanoid robot crashed at the rocky formation's base and shook it with its dying explosions, its remains shattering into polygons.

"And that's another victory for the UHA in this foreign land of guns!" cheered Strea while sliding down the rocks and landing beside her fellow virtual dweller, having put away her weapon to do so. "You were amazing as always, Yuuki!"

"I wouldn't have been able to do so without you, Strea…quite literally." pouted the virtual swordswoman while looking down at her Photon Sword as she turned it off, also sparing a glance to the gun she had once again holstered. "I guess I just have grown too used to my wings and, you know, being an Imp, especially since…that, so it's a bit hard to adapt to new limitations…and…"

"You miss Excaliber?" asked the minigun-user with a sympathetic smile, earning an embarrassed nod from Yuuki. "Heh, it's nothing to feel bad about, Yuuki! I also feel a bit weird without Gram at my back and Darkness Blade randomly activating, but new experiences are always fun, especially if we have friends around!"

"Ye-yes, I know, but…Excaliber kind of make me feel 'safe', you know?" muttered the virtual girl while fidgeting in place, her hand unconsciously seeking the golden blade of Bonds. "Like, sometimes, whenever I held it, I can almost feel as if Aiko-nee was still with me…but it's more than that. I have accepted I have to move on and grow into my own person without her, so Excaliber helps me with that in a way, because it also reminds me of the bond that joins me together with everyone. You, Asuna, the rest of the UHA, my dear Sleeping Knights…and Kirito."

"Hmm…that's why you feel safe whenever you're holding it, uh?" questioned the lilac-haired girl before happily rushing towards the swordswoman's side and smothering her against her bosom, earning a surprised squeak from her. "There! Feeling better now?"

"A…ahahah, Strea, what are you even doing?" laughed Yuuki while barely managing to raise her face from between the youngest of the remaining MHCPs' breasts.

"Giving you something else to 'hold' that reminds you of those Bonds, of course." sincerely smiled Strea, looking at her with care and also…a distant regret. "You don't need a sword to remember how much we love you, or you love us, Yuuki. We will never leave you alone."

"Strea…I didn't really think that…sorry for saying silly things." apologized the virtual swordswoman before narrowing her eyes slightly at the still distant gaze of her friend. "Wait, is anything bothering…?"

"Hey, you two, quit playing around already!" called a familiar voice even as a familiar whiskered girl called to them from over the rocky formation, apparently having just arrived in a small vehicle. "Everyone is gathering back in the city and we still need to find Sachi's group!"

The one calling to them was wearing what was probably one of the simplest outfits out of the whole group, an orange-mustard colored one piece 'dress' that was tight around her torso but fell like a skirt just enough under her hips to be decent and left most of her arms exposed, with black leggings and knee-high boots completing the set. Honestly, if it wasn't for the handgun at her hip, one would have a hard time placing her in the post-apocalyptic wasteland that was GGO.

"Ah, sorry Argo, we're going!" happily replied Strea while waving towards the Info Broker, who simply sighed at her usual cheerfulness, even as Yuuki frowned at realizing that strange 'feeling' in her eyes had vanished. "C'mon Yuuki, we don't want to make the rest wait!"

"Ye-yeah, of course, right behind you!" quickly followed the purple-haired girl as she raced after the MHCP.

Well, it probably was just her imagination. After all, it wasn't as if Strea would hide something that troubled her from them, right…?

"Hop on, I think we will find the others if we head south for a bit. Phili-chan told me earlier they were going to try and grind a bit in that direction." informed them the whiskered girl as they boarded her small jeep, she already seated behind the wheel. "What were you two even talking about down there all alone anyway?"

"Ah! We…"

"Yuuki was worried about our weapons and equipment back in ALO!" chirped the youngest of the virtual girls while giving a wink to her friend. "Given a lot of it are Unique items or things that Liz forged herself…"

"Hmm, yeah, I can see why you would be worried…" muttered Argo as she drove through the sand dunes, still a bit iffy with the vehicle's troublesome controls. "I mean, we didn't really have that many options of people to leave them with if we didn't want to lose them before the conversion, but I'm still not sure if leaving it to them was a good idea…"

"Well, the Sleeping Knights decided they were going to try going back to Asuka Empire for a bit while I was out of ALO…" laughed Yuuki while scratching the back of her head.

"Besides, I'm sure Klein-san and Fuurinkazan are doing a great job keeping our things safe!" nodded Strea with a happy conviction. "I mean, sure, they're not the most reliable people when it comes to many things, but they were one of the only guilds in SAO that could proudly say they went through the entire game without losing anyone! They're probably taking their job very seriously right now!"

 **Meanwhile, back in ALO…**

"Muahahaha! Behold, we're the almighty UHA!" laughed a certain red-haired Salamander while posing 'epically' with a certain pair of blades, one jet-black and the other of a beautiful emerald, his friends and guildmates doing similar things all around him. "Beware, evildoers, for your days are numbered!"

"…say, is anyone else…feeling a bit ashamed of this?" asked Harry One, one of the members of the guild known as Fuurinkazan…even as he raised Sachi's massive spear over his head with a giddy look.

"I suppose we should. In fact, we should feel like adults playing with children toys…but man, I just can't help but think how COOL this is!" answered Dynamm to his guildmate as he adopted a badly copied Battoujutsu stance with an oversized katana while 'aiming' at his leader. "Hey Klein, look out! I'm going to take you out before you can even do anything!"

"Hah, hah, very funny Dynamm…" dryly laughed Klein while rolling his eyes at the reminder of his 'fight' against Philia, lowering Elucidator and Fafnir's Fang to gaze back at them with a giddy look. "That aside, though, I'm so happy Kirito and the rest asked us to guard their things! Do you know how it feels to wield these things, even if I can't use them right for the life of me?! It's like I'm holding Goku's staff or something!"

"Yeah, the times we saw those two blades epically ending a Boss back in SAO and saving who knows how many lives…" dreamily sighed Dale while raising Gram over his head, though it was clear he was barely able to properly wield the Demonic Sword. "…they look better when Asuna-sama uses them, no offense boss."

"None taken, my friend, it's the honest truth." casually replied the bandana-wearing man before stabbing both blades on the dirt and manipulating his menu…bringing a beautiful golden blade to his hands. "Oh yeah, now this is epic too! Behold, the Mightiest Blade in the game!"

"Dude…for some reason, it feels incredibly wrong to see YOU wielding that." muttered Kunimittz while morbidly looking at his leader and friend swinging Excaliber around…as if he himself wasn't casually (And childishly) moving a massive Fuuma Shuriken in his hand, having absolutely 0 skill to even try and throw it.

"Oh, shut it, Kunim. You're not making me feel bad for feeling cool for a bit." groaned Klein before blinking and looking towards the youngest member of their guild, the only one who had barely moved at all since they got here and that was seemingly just staring into his menu with indecision. "Hey, Recon! What's the matter, my boy? Weren't you going to bring out that cool katana and use it?"

"A-ah, ye-yes, Klein-san!" all but shrieked the green-haired Sylph while blushing, getting out of the admiring gaze he had been giving to the weapon in his inventory and finally gathering the courage to materialize it, holding it by both the blade and the handle in both hands with the reverence one would give an invaluable treasure, his gaze moving over the strange symbols on the katana's flat side and the wheel-like carvings on the guard and handle. "Ah…thi-this is Leafa-san's sword…holding this in my hands, it almost feels as if I can feel her own holding it too…and even…!"

Whatever else the fantasizing Recon was going to say was lost in the wind as the wheel-like carvings of the blade suddenly came alive, the weapon spinning by itself and severing half his right hand as it rose angrily into the air, cutting through the squeaking boy's face as he fell on his back and the rest of Fuurinkazan froze, staring at the floating and shining blade with incomprehension.

In answer, Justice's Wings seemed to _hum angrily_ ….somehow.

 _"What the fucking hell is going on here?! I was already depressed enough when Master told me I had to stay in someone else's menu because she was converting her Avatar for a while, even if we can still see each other IRL, but then THIS happens?!"_ screeched the weapon/bicycle/spirit/whatever as it shook with the fury of a scorned woman…weapon…something. _"I'm forcefully dragged here by a dumbass obsessed with Master, and I find you buffoons defiling my fellow weapons! Hell won't be enough of a punishment by the time I'm done with you! Starting with…stop dirtying Excaliber-chan with your greasy hands!"_

Of course, none of the present guildmates could hear anything except angry hums coming from the blade. However, when it flew through the air and spectacularly decapitated Klein, they realized it may be a good idea to get the fuck out of there.

None of them would manage to, even as one of the most bizarre one-sided slaughters in the history of Alfheim started…

* * *

On the deserted wastelands near a post-apocalyptic ruined city, 2 girls waited, crouched behind the remains of some futuristic flying machine, though it looked ancient in its current state.

The dandelion-haired one, who was holding a sniper rifle, wore form-fitting clothing, a silvery top that doubled as combat armor over a black shirt with sleeves that went down until half her arms and short sky-blue shorts, boots of an identical color to her top and black kneepads also covering her. Fingerless gloves and black stockings that went above her knees completed the attire.

At her side, with an extremely focused gaze on her own, the girl with bluish-black hair tightly held a long weapon that seemed too big for her. Wearing what seemed like a black bodysuit that covered her entire body from neck to toe, pieces of bluish combat over all the key parts of her body, she looked like the epitome of someone ready to charge into battle in a futuristic setting.

"…they're taking too long." whispered Philia while looking at her friend with uncertainty. "What's the delay?"

"I don't know, but I wouldn't worry." smiled back Sachi without losing her focus on the road for even an instant. "Knowing Keita and the rest, they must be about to enter in a spectacular…"

"INCOMIIIING!"

The sudden scream was accompanied by the sound of the earth splintering and cracking, making the rifle-user's head to whip around in surprise while her friend just tightened the grip on her weapon, also looking at the spot where dirt suddenly exploded upwards.

An honest-to-God giant mecha-worm emerged from underground, roaring menacingly all the while, bleeding sparks and with its red eyes (Though one had to question why anyone would put eyes on a creature that moved under the earth) destroyed and burning.

All probably thanks to the 4 boys that all but hung for dear life on its back, the one with the military armor, poncho and cowboy hat trying his best to keep his machinegun rammed on the monster's eyehole, shooting while he continued screaming.

"Sachiiiiii! Philiaaaaa! Noooow!" roared Keita while the worm shook him and the rest off its back with a violent movement.

The moment it did, a single sniper shot caught it on the center of its upper mandibles, drawing all the Aggro and making it turn its blind and monstrous robot-head towards the offender, who didn't seem to know snipers were supposed to attack from very far away…

…in time for the girl beside her to finish aiming and shoot a missile straight into its open mouth, the rocket launcher she held barely even making her tremble as the worm exploded into a glorious blaze of devastation from the inside out.

"…boom, headshot." grinned Ducker while standing up from where he had fallen, wearing what seemed like a red and green version of a WW2 Soldier's uniform, almost letting go of his rifle in relief, only the bayonet on its tip stopping it from doing so. "Great job, Sachi!"

"Indeed." commented Tetsuo while dusting off his vest, the other former Black Cat wearing what seemed like a black-ops uniform, but that was of an extremely eye-catching white color, for some reason, walking to grab his grenade launcher again. "I gotta say, I had my doubts when you chose to get THAT weapon, but you certainly know how to use it."

"Heh, I didn't doubt for even a second she could do it." smiled Sasamaru while giving his female friend a thumbs-up, the last boy of the group wearing a stereotypical modern-day 'mercenary' outfit, like one would see in some American movies, red beret and combat vest included, a couple of Uzis hanging from his belt. "After all, she _is_ the wielder of the Infinite Spear, remember?"

"Gu-guys, stop it, you're embarrassing me…" muttered the rocket launcher-user while bashfully looking down, even as Philia laughed at her side. "S-stop it, Philia!"

"So-sorry, I just can't get enough of how different you keep acting in and out of combat…" chuckled the 'sniper' while shaking her head. "Also, the fact that you're not spouting any of that crazy talk that mecha anime got you hooked at…"

"I-it's just not the same without my spear, okay?!" retorted Sachi with a blush while muttering about the epicness of drill and the power of believing in things, getting her friend to roll her eyes with a smile.

"Don't tease Sachi-mama that way, Philia-mama." called out a familiar young voice, making the group turn around to see a little girl with a complicated smile walking towards them. "Besides, at least you can actually enjoy fighting here. I can't even be close to a battle without being in danger in this world…"

"Oh, c'mon Yui-chan, don't say that!" protested the dark-haired girl with an encouraging smile. "Be-besides, you look truly adorable with that outfit!"

Sachi was talking, of course, of the stylish, and, certainly, cute-looking, one-piece dress, colored a soft lilac and white, with boots and gloves completing it, giving the first MHCP a certainly cute and charming look.

She didn't look exactly thrilled by it, though.

"I don't like it. The colors are too bright, I prefer my black dress a lot more…" complained Yui while looking herself over and sighing again. "And it's just another reminder I don't have my 'powers' here…"

Certainly, while it wasn't that big of a surprise in hindsight, the virtual little girl had been shocked when she realized, once everyone had converted their accounts to GGO and she followed, that her 'Psychic Powers' (Passive Gravity Control) were gone.

Of course, that was to be expected, given the only reason she had 'conserved' them in ALO was that the game's system was an exact copy of that from the original SAO Servers. That was also the only reason she and Strea had been able to 'restore' themselves so easily once Kirito dove in the land of fairies for the first time, and also why the UHA members had conserved their Unique Skills once the Sword Skills system had been added (And back in Utopia, Equinox had purposefully constructed her System to be compatible with such).

Gun Gale Online, however, was a completely different world, and while the Seed-based game allowed an easy way of Account Converting, it worked on a completely different game system, so it was more than obvious that nothing would carry over except average equivalent Stats (Which was the would reason the rest had left their equipment and Items with Fuurinkazan in the first place).

Sadly, that meant the youngest-looking member of the United Heroes Association and unofficial daughter/niece of the group had not only become basically unable to protect herself, she had also lost the easy mobility of her Pixie form, making her less than a sitting duck out in the field (Unlike Strea who had an actual Player Character).

It had taken a lot of convincing for them to even allow her to follow them out in GGO's non-safe Zones, and only under the condition that she stayed far away enough from the battles.

Given how used she was to be in the thick of things with everyone, all of it was frustrating the usually happy Yui.

"We-well, how about we start heading back to town?" asked Keita upon noticing the MHCP's sour mood, hoping to distract her from it. "Kirito just sent a message saying he and Sinon finished getting all the basic Items we would need to getting really started in some Dungeons!"

"Tha-that certainly sounds like fun!" quickly caught on Sachi while grabbing the virtual girl's hand and dragging her away with a smile. "C'mon, Yui-chan! We don't want to make Kirito-sama wait, right?"

"A-ah, wait up, Sachi-mama! I can walk by myself!" pouted Yui towards the dark-haired girl, but there was a clear smile back on her face now as they rushed through the edge of the post-apocalyptic city.

"…heh, surprisingly, Sachi always knows how to raise your mood." grinned Philia with a smile as she watched both of them go. "Maybe is because of how much her own changes when she's in and out of battle?"

"Or when she's with Kirito." chuckled Tetsuo with a small shake of his head.

"To be fair, everyone's mood does when they're with him. Philia-san here is a testament to it." added Ducker with his own grin while elbowing the strange sniper, who blushed and scowled at him in return.

"Oh yeah? Well, you're also always pretty excited whenever he's around!" challenged the dandelion-haired girl with a playful smile. "Anything you want to confess, Ducker?!"

"Wha-what the hell are you saying?! I'm not g…!"

"Children, children, please, let there be peace!" stopped them Sasamaru before they could actually think of drawing their weapons on each other. "We should probably follow those two before they get away, you know?"

"Heh, don't worry, Sachi isn't going anywhere fast enough to lose us while carrying that rocket launcher." pointed out Keita while gesturing towards the just slightly distant forms of the two girls. "See? Just a quick run and we will catch…"

And, of course, it was in that moment that the half-destroyed road over which Sachi and Yui were running cracked with a thunderous sound, letting them fall into the darkness bellow.

"KYAAAA!"

"…up?"

"…dammit Keita, you jinxed it!" shouted everyone while rushing towards where their friends had fallen, the boy with the cowboy hat quickly cursing and following cue.

"…owieee…" muttered Sachi while shaking her head, the fall not having really 'hurt' her, but the slightly less dampened Pain Limiter GGO had to make things more 'realistic' in the gun-based game (Coupled with the massive weapon still on her back) had been enough to bring back memories she wasn't too fond of, from their battle against Equinox's daughters. "Yui-chan? Are you okay? Damn, this place is so da…"

The girl with the rocket launcher was silenced when dim lights suddenly turned on, weakly illuminating the strange place they were in, which looked suspiciously like the inside of some abandoned airship, looking ancient despite how absurdly futuristic it would be in the real world.

Her attention, however, was drawn towards the most noticeable and most intact-looking thing in the room. The pod-like capsule resting on its center, which had suddenly started to rise…and in front of which Yui was standing, staring at whatever was inside with wide eyes.

And even as it started to open, confused purple eyes staring into her dark ones, the first Mental Health Counseling Program couldn't stop the massive smile suddenly blossoming in her face.

"…this is the coolest thing ever."

Sachi could only watch on in shock, even as the shouts from the others came from above, from the hole they had fallen through…

* * *

Sitting outside a building of Glocken City that was clearly a very old-looking and dingy bar, a certain long-haired boy clad in a costume most would consider ridiculous was trying his best to evade the deadpanning glare of the blue-haired girl beside him…and failing.

"…I can't believe you actually went and did that." finally sighed Sinon with exasperated amusement.

"I-it was a lapse in judgment, okay?! I mean…we needed more money for better Items, and that game looked pretty simple! I wasn't even meaning to use any speed or agility beyond 'normal' when it became clear it was meant to be nigh-impossible to beat!" complained Kirito with a blush while looking down. "I-I didn't mean to break the damn thing! O-or for that crowd to suddenly form all around us…"

"Yeah, next time before causing a commotion try and remember you're arguably more famous among the player base here than in ALO, okay?" replied the sniper while shaking her head.

"I…I won't cause any more commotions to begin with…" muttered the gamer dejectedly in answer.

"Heh, you even had to carry me out of there bridal style at super speed so that we could get away." laughed the blue-haired girl while looking to the sky. "That certainly brought memories…"

"It certainly did…and don't try to act as if you don't enjoy being carried by me." joked the black-haired hero with a smile…which faltered slightly when Sinon looked at him with a bright smile on her own.

"Why, I never denied it. I'm also your gi-girlfriend, after all…right?" replied the sniper while putting a hand on his cheek, Kirito suddenly realizing how close they were.

He had a moment to entertain how being back in the land of guns and carrying Hecate on her back certainly seemed to boost Sinon's confidence before their lips met, both of them melting into the kiss, the world around them suddenly seeming to vanish…

"…no fair." mumbled a voice from over the couple, making them all but jump apart and look up to see a dejected Silica hanging upside down from the streetlamp just above them. "After such a perfect moment, there is no way I'm mustering the courage to do anything similar today…"

"Si-Silica?!" shouted the gamer with clear surprise, his face slightly red.

"Kuh…I agree with you, Silica. Sinon completely stole the day with that." mumbled Liz from a few meters away, pouting and looking away with crossed arms. "Anything after that would only be second place at best…"

"Si-since when have you been there?!" demanded the aforementioned blue-haired girl with her face of a surprising crimson.

"Like 30 seconds, really. We didn't want to interrupt, but I guess the sense of 'defeat' got the better of those two." added Asuna nonchalantly while walking towards the group, an exasperated Leafa just behind. "Sorry about that, Sensei, Sinonon."

"Honestly, you two should know better than to suddenly interrupt such a moment." sighed the blonde girl before looking at the interrupted pair with sympathy. "We're really sorry, Onii-chan, Sin…"

"There is no need to apologize, Leafa-sam…san!" quickly interrupted Sinon while holding her hands, her mood changing radically like every time her 'Heroine' praised her, making everyone chuckle/roll their eyes while the other girl just laughed awkwardly. "Any moment with you is certainly not wasted!"

"Heheh, Sinon always says the funniest things!" laughed Strea while she and her group made their way into the small street. "Don't you think?"

"Depends on your definition of 'funny', really, but yeah, Sinon-nya is certainly amusing." grinned Argo while categorically ignoring the glare which was being sent her way by the sniper. "What do you think, Yuuki?"

"Ah…I was kind of thinking that I want to kiss Kirito too now…" accepted the swordswoman with a blushing laugh, making many look at her in surprise and for most of them to blush instantly, caught off guard by the sudden request. "Heh, so-sorry about that…"

"There is no-nothing to apologize for, Yuuki." assured her Kirito while trying his best to give her a calming smile. "And, uhm, if you want, later…"

"Why not right now?" innocently asked the virtual girl with a smile on her own, making many around her cough awkwardly. "It's not as if anyone here would have a problem with that, right?"

The black-haired boy was still debating how to properly explain Yuuki that they were trying not to 'force' things that were too awkward in their 'unique' group relationship (And to ignore Strea's non-verbal agreement with the proposal) when he was saved by the bell…

"Papa! Hey, Papa, everyone!"

…or by his virtual daughter, in this case.

"Yui!" all but shouted the gamer while turning around with a relieved smile, everyone's gaze also moving towards the incoming form of their youngest-looking member. "What's up, dea….?"

Kirito's words died in his throat while his eyes widened, everyone else's doing the same.

And it was because of the strange-looking teenage girl that Yui was all but dragging by the arm their way with a happy smile, and that was looking at the MHCP like a lost puppy would do at the sun.

It was neither her violet eyes nor her neck-length grayish hair what surprised them, though. Nor was it the full-body bodysuit she was wearing, silver-white and purple, with nothing in the way of armor to offer more protection at her petite figure.

It was her eyes, which looked almost totally 'empty' of anything, except for a bright and almost blinding spark that only was noticeable when she looked at the black-haired girl dragging her, vanishing the moment she looked around or at them with hollow curiosity.

"Wa-wait up, Yui-chan!" called Sachi as she and the rest tried to recover their virtual breaths, at the other end of the street as they rushed after the suddenly untiring little girl. "I-I told you…you shouldn't…drag her…and we still don't…know what…!"

All but ignoring the dark-haired girl's words, Yui finally stopped before her shocked 'father', looking up at him with glee and pointing towards the girl behind her, who looked up at him and tilted her head to the side with clear incomprehension of what was going on.

"Papa, this is ArFA-sys! I call her Arfy-chan!" explained the virtual girl with the most radiant smile anyone had seen her in a long time. "Can I keep her?!"

And it was with the feeling of an upcoming headache for their leader that the UHA's adventures in GGO officially started…

* * *

 **Author's Notes:** And there! Done! Did you have fun with this relaxed silliness :P? I certainly hope so!

Getting it out of the way now, everyone's outfits except for the former Black Cats' (For obvious reasons) are the same as the ones revealed for the upcoming SAO Fatal Bullet game. You can see them online by looking for the game's official Japanese page, but if you have trouble or don't want to go through the effort, you can tell me and I will give you a link directly to it XP Also, yeah, Yui made a 'friend' that's also part of Fatal Bullet's new cast, but don't worry, the crazy ideas I have planned for her and the UHA here won't be affected or based on anything that happens in said game :)

And now, let's get to the important matter, how these 'chronicles' will continue! And the surprise is that it will be up to YOU all to decide! Right now, a Poll should be appearing on my Profile to let you all vote from among the few ideas I had for these small sidestories and chose which one you want to see next, chronological order be damned (Though they will all have the Date in which they happen on the timeline at the beginning, of course XP). Given that this fic's Update rate will be very random and not really a main focus, I think it's fair, though I do want to try and get at least one out for every future OPG:CoF chapter.

And so, it's up to you know, my dear readers! Do you want to see what happens next on the UHA's bizarre GGO adventure? Or perhaps for some of the girls' teased first kisses? Or something else hilarious and/or crazy? I certainly look forward to know!

Until next time, this is Saint, signing off!


	2. Chronicle 2: To Dispel the Darkness

Hi there people! Saint is back!

First of all, apologies for the delay. Even given the 'contents' of this chapter, it should have been done relatively fast. However, a mixture of real life issues related to my work practices (I'm JUST starting then next week when it should have been last month XP!) and my own laziness resulting from that made me delay it way too long. That said, thanks to you all who voted for the next chapters of this sidestory collection of this crazy little Universe of mine! Here are the results of the following chapters from the most voted to the least one, by the way!

1-To Dispel the Darkness

2-Concert for Heroes

3-Ninja Way of Love

4-Playing with Bullets 2

5-Strong Hearts – Complicated Feelings

6-Beyond Myself

Which means this chapter is the 'M'-Rated Strea chapter, and the last one shall be the Sachi-centric chapter (Well, second to last, as the last part of Playing with Bullets will come after that…man, talk about a timeline-mess, the story with which this collection chronologically started with is going to be split all over it, but I guess that happens when I let you choose the order of the chapters XD).

Now then, first of all, let me make the obvious **warning** : This chapter contains a 'Mature' scene (Which is causing this fic's rating to become my first M-rated one), but I wanted to make it, let's say, 'meaningful'. I wanted the chapter to be more than 'just a lemon', so I did my best in making the idea I had in mind to become as well-done as possible and put all of it here. Hope it's good enough for you all, my dear readers, and sorry if it's not really that good, this is the first time I have ever tried to write such content, but I liked the personal challenge, and I think it came out good enough :3

Well, with that said, I leave you with the slightly more serious chapter…at least for a small bit of it, then it becomes pure sweetness and happiness :P Enjoy!

 **Disclaimer:** Neither SAO nor One Punch Man belong to me. I only use the plot of one and the idea of the other for my amusement and everyone's enjoyment!

* * *

 **Chronicle 2: To Dispel the Darkness**

 **March 10th, 2026. Aincrad, Alfheim Online. 22nd Floor, 22:50…**

 _Once again…she could see it._

 _Like a maddened animal, the corrupted form of Brynhildr swung down her bat, aiming to kill Yuuki's helpless form, not caring for the holy blade still impaling her all-but-destroyed head._

 _She could not allow it. She couldn't let that happen. She couldn't lose her family._

 ** _She couldn't lose her happiness!_**

 _And with the sound of something breaking apart on the deepest part of her mind, she felt her body changing, warping into something unnatural, with too many limbs and with claws as long as sharp as her sword had been, shrouded in a [Darkness] that didn't belong to the World, the Concept devouring Everything it came in contact with._

 _No hesitation, nothing but an empty anger driven by animal instinct, filled her entire being as she tore apart the enemy, this time not a single care for the fact that it had once been her 'sister' too, just the hollow need to destroy her, to erase her from existence so that it could no longer hurt her family…_

 _And then, she was back, whole and herself once again, Gram lying not far from her as the full weight of what she had done hit her all at once, making her feel what humans probably called 'sick' and as if her whole world was spinning, bitter tears and sobs escaping her shaking body as Yuuki silently hugged, nothing but the memory of that [Darkness] and all the voices that filled it echoing into her mind…_

With a gasp, MHCP-002, codename 'Strea', woke up, feeling her virtual heart hammering on her chest as she raised her knees and hugged herself, trying to stop her shaking.

Idly, her eyes moved towards the other bed within the log house's room, her big sister's sleeping form visible on it.

Deciding it would be better to let Yui sleep, as unnecessary as the action actually was for either of them given their nature, the older-looking of the two AIs stumbled out of her bed and walked out of the room, idly feeling the cool breeze coming from some open window caressing the exposed parts of her body, not that the see-through purplish nightgown she wore protected it too much from the cold in the first place.

It was okay, though. Aincrad wasn't even close to the coldest parts of Alfheim yet, and besides, she kind of _liked_ the cold. Because it stimulated her senses, those of her avatar. The ones with which she perceived the world like a human, or at least the closest the virtual imitation she had for body could come to it.

Finally, almost without realizing it, she ended in the house's bathroom. For an instant, her eyes wandered around it, looking at the bathtub (As there obviously wasn't an actual WC, given how unneeded those were in VR) but deciding against taking a bath in favor of just heading to the sink and splashing some water on her face several times, soaking in the virtual sensations before taking a deep breath and staring at the mirror.

A massive miasma of raw [Darkness] stared back at her, a monstrous form with too many limbs and claws longer and sharper than her blade hidden just behind the inky blackness, eyes of the deepest crimson staring right into her very existence.

 **"Let us out."** the reflection spoke, with her own voice and with a thousand other whispers of hungry darkness, coming both from before her eyes and from the back of her mind, where she could always feel it lurking in silence since the battle in the Utopia Server. **"You know you want to. Become what you're meant to be…"**

Staring back with an unusually empty-faced expression, Strea simply closed her eyes, took another deep breath and shook her head, opening her eyes once again to see her normal reflection in the virtual mirror.

A face that could be called from pretty to beautiful, unusual but lovely red eyes, brownish hair and slightly tanned skin, the racial traits of one of Alfheim's Gnomes only being different from the norm because of the two white markings on her left cheek and the two beauty marks on her left breast's cleavage.

With but a thought, she easily also imagined herself with a milkier colored skin and lavender hair, her original (And also returned when she went to GGO with everyone) colors…or at least, those of her avatar.

"This is me…this body…this is what I am…right?" asked the youngest remaining MHCP as she looked down at her hands.

The empty bathroom offered her no answers.

Only the dark whispers on the back of her mind kept her company…

* * *

"Yui-nee…we can't have dreams, can we?"

It was just past midday the next day when Strea asked that, making her big sister blink in surprise as she stopped writing down the things she had been planning to suggest their family could do in their next IRL holidays, looking at the younger AI in confusion.

Some of the other members of the UHA, that were hanging out there for a while before going back to the real world for lunch, also turned around with slight surprise at the unusual questions.

"Dreams are a succession of images, thoughts, or emotions passing through the mind during sleep, usually influenced by the subconscious parts of the brain. We don't have actual brains not actually require sleep, so no, theoretically we can't have dreams…but you already knew that, Strea. Why do you ask?"

"Oh…no reason, I just had the urge to ask after something I saw yesterday on the internet!" laughed the virtual girl while sticking out her tongue and bonking her own head in a 'playful' way, quickly standing up. "Anyway, I'm going out to clean some monsters from the forest, okay? All that time using a minigun has rusted my sword skills a bit!"

That declaration made, Strea happily sauntered out of the house and into the forest, casually waving at Tonky as she went past him, and even greeting the tall and sinister dark abomination hiding in the trees just out of everyone else's view, who looked at her with worry as she vanished from view.

"…say, does anyone else thinks Strea-san has been acting a bit…off?" asked Silica with a small frown, the Caith Sith kunoichi lowering the shuriken she had been polishing (As unnecessary as that was).

"Now that you mention it…she hasn't been as crazy bubbly and energetic as usual lately…" mumbled Lisbeth while crossing her arms, a suddenly thoughtful look on her face. "Don't know for how long exactly, though. These have been some busy months…"

"I already noticed she seemed a bit worried for something back during our first day GGO, but…well, you know how fast we kind of got a lot of things that kept us quite busy, so it slipped my mind." apologized Yuuki while scratching the back of her head. "It didn't seem that serious, though, but maybe…"

"Strea…was I really so caught up with Arfy-chan that I didn't notice my own little sister was troubled by something?" wondered Yui while suddenly feeling quite guilty, especially when remembering the overly devoted and curious AI filled her with maternal instincts and a need to go and see her despite having done so just yesterday. "…God, I'm a terrible sister, aren't I?"

"Do-don't say that, Yui-chan! You totally aren't!" assured Leafa while standing up, Justice's wheel-like decorations 'humming' to show her agreement. "I mean, sure, maybe you were a bit too distracted paying attention to ArFA-sys to spend time with her, but you were with her literally all the time until just before that! It's not as if you were purposefully ignoring her…making her feel as if she had done something wrong but never knowing what…slowly making her feel as if she was just a stranger to you and thinking you felt the same in return while…"

"Leafa-chan, snap out of it!" shouted Asuna while shaking her closest friend, making her squeak as she snapped out of her depressing memories. "That's long in your past and now everything is way better and happier, remember?!"

"So-sorry about that, everyone! I-I guess remembering those times when Onii-chan and all barely talked really affects me, heh, heh…" awkwardly apologized the Sylph with a blushing face. "Tha-that said, Yui-chan…can Strea even get, you know, depressed? I mean, not that I doubt her humanity, or yours for that matter! I know you can be worried or sad, and even mad, it's just that I have never…!"

"It's okay, Sugu-mama, I get you. Strea certainly…doesn't seem to be able to get such a psychological problem, does she? Especially when she's always so happy and cheerful for everything…" commented the oldest MHCP while looking towards the closest window.

"Yui-chan? Is everything okay?" questioned the Undine with sudden apprehension, exchanging a mildly worried look with the rest of her present friends. "It's okay if you don't want to…"

"No, I'm fine. It's just that…to be honest even to this day, I'm still unsure of how I managed to 'wake' Strea." confessed Yui while grabbing the edges of her black dress. "Back then…well, we have all accepted how amazing papa's 'powers' are, but that doesn't change the fact that even he doesn't really know where they came from, right? So, Cardinal itself…the one that would become Equinox later on, was completely unable to detect him, despite the fact that his very existence should have been considered a Bug of the highest degree to correct. I decided to take advantage of that and work around as many of Cardinal's routines to 'escape'…"

"Yui-chan, no offense, but you have told us this story before…" interrupted Lisbeth with a confused look. "Back when we met, in fact. Why…?"

"Well…is because I may have omitted that, for all intents and purposes, Strea _shouldn't_ have woken up when we escaped Cardinal." revealed the oldest AI with a sad smile.

"What?!" screamed everyone in the room with shock, staring at the little girl with wide eyes.

"I made…a lot of things, and put my best effort, into activating 'MHCP-002' the moment I realized I would need a 'bodyguard' to survive in Aincrad and find papa without raising Cardinal's attention. I went through every loophole I could, keeping her deactivated and feeding her data directly from my own core systems instead of a normal activation process, stuffing her into an unused avatar from the Beta, and even took the risk of granting her a Unique Skill, if only to stop such a dangerous thing from falling on the hands of someone insane enough to unlock it…but when I managed to get out in Christmas, she didn't move, nor reacted at all. The Avatar didn't show any sign of 'life' nor activity. And even if it did, because of how I had done it, Strea should have acted and thought in a very similar manner to me, but…"

There was no need for Yui to elaborate on that last note. After all, as great as the got along and how they worked together scarily well, it was obvious for everyone that had spent enough time with them how radically different the AI sisters attitudes and ways of thinking were.

"What…happened, then?" asked Leafa while trying to process the strange reveal, also feeling her sword/spirit/bicycle curiosity despite her silence.

"I was attacked by a bunch of the remained Christmas mobs and then, when I was about to deal with them, she moved and brutally destroyed them all with Darkness Blade. Then she smiled at me all chirpy when I called her name." shrugged the oldest MHCP with a slightly guilty smile on her face. "Sure, her attitude and actions were a bit odd, but she still acknowledged me as her 'big sister' and she remembered the 'mission' I had programmed her for, so I didn't give it much thought. And then…well, we became close to inseparable very fast after that, so…"

"You never actually stopped to think if there had actually been something wrong with her." Understood Asuna while smiling and walking to put a comforting hand over the young virtual girl the group had come to see as a little sister and, even if more slowly, several of them as an actual 'daughter'. "It's okay, Yui-chan, no one would ever blame you for that. After all, super advanced AI having been affected by Sensei's weirdness or not, you were basically like one year old and trying to escape at the time, remember? No one expects you to be perfect or anything remotely similar…I thought your time with Arfy-san taught you that?"

"That's right, Yui! You're beyond amazing as you are!"

"Exactly. Don't blame you for things you don't understand, Yui-chan!"

"Your Ninja Way is already as bright as ours! Even more in some ways!"

"As they all say, and as Asuna said, you're perfect just being you…wasn't that what ArFA-sys said too?"

"….yes, Leafa-mama, everyone. You're right." smiled Yui while standing up, a determined look on her face. "What I should worry about now is how to cheer up my dear little sister! I…have no idea how to do so, though."

"We-well, let's think of a way to do that together, okay?" spoke Asuna while looking at the rest with a shaky smile, getting supportive but also troubled looks from them. "Do we even know exactly what could be bothering her? Or when it started? Was it in GGO, as Yuuki said…?"

"No…when I noticed it back then the first day, we haven't even been there for more than a couple hours, and I had been with her most of the time. Nothing that could dampen her usual mood to such a degree happened." denied the Imp while crossing her arms. "It had to be from before that…"

"…Utopia." the moment those words came from Silica's mouth, a visible shudder enveloped every single person in the room, Tonky outside 'crying' out in distress as the memories of their most brutal battle ever came back. "We…all went through a lot there, and a lot of us also did a lot of things we can't explain or understand even now, and we couldn't exactly go looking for a psychologist or something to talk about them without actually revealing WHAT happened, so we kept it between ourselves. We thought all of us were handling it pretty well, but…what if something from back then is affecting Strea-san?"

"…she did…turn into something very sinister to…kill Brynhildr." muttered Yuuki while remembering the baseball bat-wielding berserker AI, and how an angered Strea warped into something terrifying, made out of Darkness itself, to tear her apart. "She looked very shaken up and couldn't stop crying after that, so I tried to console her, but…I thought she got better after that when she returned to her usual self while we watched Kirito fighting Equinox…"

"…she most likely just pushed it to the back of her mind using everything that happened after that, especially Valentine's Day, but…it may not have fully gotten away from her mind." mumbled Yui while biting her lips. "I know it took me a while to come to term with what I had to do to Tomo…to Andvari, even if it was technically Silica-mama who beat her…"

"Given we just established how different you and Strea's way of taking things is, that may very well be the case." spoke Leafa while adopting a thoughtful expression. "What do we do, then? Do we…talk to her about it? Some sort of psychologist intervention?"

"Sadly, I know enough of Strea to know she wouldn't really react or open well to any of the standard psychological treatments known by man." lamented the oldest MHCP while the others exchanged understanding looks, agreeing with that sad statement. "We need to think of doing this in a…'Strea-way', for lack of a better expression. Something that stimulates her very own core personality in a way that she has no choice but to open herself in a sincere way instead of trying to mask it with her usual bubbliness…"

"Huh…do we even have something that convenient?" questioned Liz with a raised eyebrow…before the log house's front door opened and a familiar figure walked inside, looking tired/worried as she greeted them and sat on one of the chairs beside the living room's table.

Every single pair of eyes in the room zeroed in Kirito's form as he rested his face on his hands.

"…Onii-chan? Is something wrong?" asked the present Sylph with clear apprehension, even as the others exchanged meaningful looks.

"No…or well, maybe yes, I'm not sure. It's just that…I'm worried about Strea." unaware of how everyone in the room stiffened in shock at his words, the Spriggan looked at them with a concerned look in his eyes. "She has been acting a bit off lately, so I was trying to see if I could cheer her up by inviting her on Quests or talking to her about some things, but I don't think it has really…why are you looking at me like that?"

"Sorry, Sensei, it's just…I think it's just the shock coming from, well…you actually noticing this, even before we did, apparently." confessed Asuna while everyone else nodded dumbly, making the boy blush with a mix of embarrassment and indignation.

"Oh, c'mon! I'm not that dense…anymore!" finished Kirito once it was clear everyone was about to protest about his statement. "Ugh, well, the thing is, I have no idea what could be bothering her, so I'm not sure of what to do about it, and all my attempts so far seem to have failed…"

"…well, today is our lucky day then, Papa! Turns out, we think we may have figured out what's wrong with Strea-nee!" happily informed Yui, much to the gamer's surprise, before she clapped her hands. "Now we just need to find a way for Papa to confront her about it without her realizing it or anyone interrupting them!"

A moment of silence went through the room.

"….that's probably going to be the easiest part of all this, really." sighed Silica while shaking her head.

Asuna and Leafa just exchanged a worried/nervous look.

Meanwhile, Kirito wondered why he felt an ominous sense of foreboding about the whole thing…

* * *

"Man…that was quite a long day. Fun, though, but still…it was quite lonely. I really shouldn't make a habit of going Questing alone…"

Whispering those words to herself, Strea arrived at the UHA's 'headquarters' with a tired look on her face just as the last rays of the virtual sun vanished beyond the horizon Aincrad floated over, opening the door and oddly feeling nothing but a desire of crashing in her bed to rest.

"Yui-nee, I'm back!" called out the youngest MHCP while unequipping Gram, blinking in confusion at the lack of answer when she walked past the deserted living room. "Yui-nee? Huh, weird, she's usually here at this hour, or someone else is…did they go on a Quest without telling me or some…?"

The sound of an arriving message interrupted the young AIs musings, making her look at it with surprise upon reading its contents.

 _'Strea-san, I was asked by uncle Keita to help fine-tuning some of the systems from that project he, Sachi-mama and Papa are working on, so I won't be at home tonight. Make sure everything stays in order!'_

 _'Yui.'_

"Oh…woah, is this the first time I'm going to spend the night without Yui-nee around?" wondered the MHCP-002 while walking upstairs, manipulating her menu and changing into her nightgown out of habit as she headed towards her and Yui's room. "That's a bit of a depressing thought, but…eh?"

Surprise was the emotion that invaded Strea's minds the most when she saw there was already someone in the room, before a small tugged at the edge of her lips at the sight.

There, half-asleep on her bed, Kirito's form was visible as he moved slightly; his cape slightly wrapped around him as if an improvised sheet.

"Mnhh…ice cream…"

"Heheh, you're going to be forcibly Disconnected if you doze off deep enough you start dreaming, you know?" called out the red-eyed girl after sitting just beside the black-haired boy, making him gasp and shock to his feet, causing her to giggle. "Also, I think you may have a bit of an unhealthy obsession with ice cream, Kirito."

"Shu-shut up, I don't have a problem with ice cream, just a healthy appreciation for it…" denied the gamer with all the dignity and conviction of someone that knows how obvious their lie is, but is still determined to not accept it.

"Heheh, suuuuure, whatever you say…so, is there any particular reason you were sleeping in my bed?" asked the beautiful AI while coquettishly batting her eyelashes towards the flustered Kirito. "Anything special you want to ask me, Kirito?"

"Actually…yes." answered the boy with an uncanny serious face, taking Strea by surprise, even more when his gloved hand closed over one of hers, making her unusually aware of the warmth his virtual body produced. "Strea…there is something bothering you, right?"

"Wha-what?" muttered the virtual girl with apprehension, wanting to look away from his intense gaze but feeling unable to do so. "I…I don't know what you're talking about…"

"It's because of what happened in the Utopia Server? Because of how you had to…destroy your sister to protect Yuuki?" the moment the question finished escaping his lips, the gamer felt clearly how the AI's body stiffened, her eyes finally looking away from his and all but confirming his words. "Strea…I'm sorry I arrived there too late to stop all that from happening. And…I know it won't change how you feel, but you saved Yuuki's life. You don't know how important that is for…"

"It's not that."

"Eh? What do you me…?"

"It's not that! I don't feel guilty about killing Haru…Brynhildr! She was threatening my family, my real one, the only I have ever loved! She had hurt them without me being able to stop her, and was even trying to actually kill one of them! If I had, I would do it all over again, for any of you!" all but screamed Strea while glaring at Kirito, utter shock consuming him not only for having never seen her with such a look, but also for the tears streaming down her eyes. "That's not what has been making me feel down…is the _easiness_ with which I did so. How simple it was for me to just…turn into that **[Darkness]** and tear her apart…"

The black-haired boy wasn't completely sure why, but he felt a strange shiver in the air the moment the youngest remaining MHCP spoke that specific word, as if coming from her lips it was more than a simple statement, like an invitation for _Something_ that wasn't natural to emerge into this world…

Surprisingly, though, this wasn't the first time he felt such a thing. After all, he had done so when he fought Yuuki for the last time, and again from her un Utopia…but, instead of the inspiring warmth that one had made him feel, this one brought a strange feeling of emptiness, loneliness, and desolation.

Concepts that were the last thing he would associate with the ever-cheerful and bubbly virtual girl before him, as if they were her very own antithesis.

"Wha-what do you mean, Strea? Why would you…?"

Once again, the gamer found himself interrupted, this time by Strea burying her face on his chest, making him freeze in surprise.

"Tell me, Kirito…what am I?" whispered the AI while holding his arms.

"…a girl that…" started Kirito before the virtual girl's face shot up, an inch from his own, intense emotion burning in her eyes.

"That's not true, though! What exactly am I, Kirito? Am I an Artificial Intelligence? Mental Health Counseling Program 002? That's what I originally was…then Yui-nee gave me an identity, stuffed me in this Avatar…this fake body, and I fully embraced the name 'Strea'. I'm but 0s and 1s inside, you know? Under these looks…is there anything else? Am I even a 'person' by definition? Or am I…something else?" as she whispered those words, the black-haired boy saw how the red in her eyes seemed to 'bleed' all around them, as if invading every inch of the virtual orbs even as Gram's form seemed to flicker in and out of existence in her back, bleeding Darkness that threatened to consume the World. "Something that doesn't belong here…something that doesn't belong with you all because it's too dange…"

She had done it to him many times already. It was something she had experienced (And enjoyed) quite a few times, so there shouldn't have been any surprise there.

And yet, the moment Strea felt Kirito holding her face and pressing his lips on her own, willingly for the first time, she felt as if her entire world came to a halt, even as her virtual heart stopped before starting to beat faster than it should have been possible.

In an instant, the feeling of all-consuming Darkness threatening to engulf her and of her arms becoming many limbs ended in sharp claws was gone, as if erased from existence by that simple gesture.

When their lips separated after several second, the AI…no, the girl felt a longing like never before invading her, a _need_ of continuing the kiss filling her body as her eyes locked onto his, a soft smile now adorning his face as he caressed one of her cheeks.

"You're Strea. A member of the United Heroes Association. Yui's older sister. An amazing and incredible girl. Someone willing to do anything for those she loves, no matter how hard it is or how much you have to throw common sense away to do so…and one of the most beautiful persons I have ever met. Never doubt that, okay?" spoke the boy with a tenderness few knew he was able to produce, slowly cleaning away one of her tears with his gloved hand. "Or I…I will have to do that again until you remember it."

For a moment, Strea fell completely silent, staring at the gamer as if she was seeing him for the first time.

Then, in an unusually tender movement, she leaned against him, pressing her body against his own, both of them feeling the other's heart beating against each other, an uncanny RIGHT sensation filling their whole selves.

"…Kirito?"

"…yes, Strea?"

"Can I…ask you for something?"

"Of course. Anything. What do you…?"

Answering his unfinished question, the red-eyed girl separated from him and, without even looking at her menu, easily triggered several commands and deactivated something very specific.

Kirito's eyes widened when her clothes, both her nightgown _and_ her underwear, vanished in a flurry of polygons, leaving her mature and beautiful body fully exposed to him.

For a moment, Strea expected him to stutter and back off, but, to her slight surprise and delight, he simply bit his lips and stared right into her eyes, his hands softly moving to hold her shoulders.

"Are…are you sure?"

"Yes. I have never been surer of anything." softly answered the red-eyed girl while leaning against him again, feeling a thrill of happy excitement at noticing how much faster his heart was beating now, all because of her. "Besides…I got Asuna and Leafa to promise I would be next that first time, right?"

Remembering that particular line from his two first girlfriends with a scarlet face, the black-haired boy nodded slowly. Then, after just a second more of hesitation, he reached out and, never taking his eyes off her, opened his menu.

A part of Strea wondered about the implications of how easy it seemed for him to deactivate his Ethics Code, before she was too busy staring at the light show created by his trademark jumpsuit and cape vanishing and the exposed body that lie beneath.

MHCP-002 had more than enough access to Internet to know human anatomy very well. And besides, having been based on his real body when he was fourteen years old, there was nothing particularly 'impressive' about the Spriggan's Avatar except perhaps more and much more toned muscles than his real body would ever have, though still fit within a very slim frame.

And yet, she still blushed mightily and felt a bright smile blossoming on her face.

It wasn't something born out of physical attraction, after all. It came from the fact that the single person that she loved the most in the world, and that had just reminded her why she did so, was willing to bare himself to her after a simple request.

Strea became aware she had probably been staring at him lost in her thoughts for longer than she intended when she felt him close the distance between their bodies and, after an instant to see if she seemed to regret anything, leaned down softly to kiss her again.

This time, she didn't hold anything back. Impulsively like usual, she kissed him back, though a fierceness that was completely new to her was also present as she felt his tongue touch hers.

A thousand sparks of electricity seemed to cover her body at that moment, the sensation sending waves of unknown emotions into her mind, making her tremble in excitement.

This was pleasure, she deduced as the fierce kiss continued, relishing into experiencing the new and unknown sensations it caused almost more than in the act itself.

At times it felt as if an electrical current was invading every single one of her avatar's…her body's receptors, overloading them with a pleasant sensation the likes she didn't know she was capable of feeling, and others as if she was flying higher than ever in the sky in the middle of a euphoric frenzy.

The girl hadn't even realized they had fallen onto the bed, she on her back with Kirito leaning over her body, until she felt the black-haired boy's hands starting to caress her body, hesitation slowly melting away from him as they kissed, making her gasp and stop when she felt his touch over the edge of her right breast.

Pleasure. Euphoria. Happiness. Nervousness. Excitement.

All of that and more sensations she was unable to put a name to, no matter how much she tried, had rushed through her virtual neural receptors the moment that happened.

"Strea? You…okay?" asked the gamer with slight concern, trying to calm his own ragged breath as he wondered if she was having second thoughts. "Do you want me to…sto…?"

Interrupting him yet again, the red-eyed girl all but jumped him, as if a part of her was terrified of him finishing that sentence, the surprised Kirito feeling her body suddenly on top of his, feeling the softness and warmth that came from her body as it seemed to try and meld with his own, her lips once again claiming his own with something akin to desperation.

"Please…no. Don't…don't stop…" pleaded Strea while reluctantly letting their mouths separate, a tiny strand of saliva still keeping their tongues connected. "I want to…feel more of this…"

This time, the boy was unable to keep at bay his more base impulses at hearing those words, reaching out and embracing the girl's body as their lips connected again, showing surprising delicacy for someone with the strength to shatter the sky with his fists, even as his hands roamed all over her skin, enjoying the warmth of her body and the sensation of her curves, feeling the need to embrace her and never let go.

The virtual girl knew it wasn't possible for her to pass out, but she felt more and more that was going to be the case if her mind continued being assaulted by all the sensations the gamer's touches were causing her, her breathing becoming erratic and the very human (And completely unneeded, as she knew) need to gasp for breath overcoming her.

She thought there was no way she could feel anything beyond that…and then she felt Kirito's mouth latching onto one of her breasts.

Strea was happy to admit her mistake as she felt a strange sound escaping from the depths of her being as her whole body shivered in utter bliss (Was that what they called 'moaning', perhaps?), pleasure and happiness in mixes she couldn't properly understand overwhelming and overriding all her senses even as she felt the boy's other hand caressing her other breast.

The girl started squirming in her grasp, trying to hold him tighter against her, both terrified of the sensations consuming her and also wishing that they would never end, feeling as if her mind was being submerged in an intoxicated trance.

"Kirito…! KIRITO!" moaned the red-eyed girl as she felt her entire existence shake, a feeling of longing, a primal need she didn't know she could experience, emerging from the deepest parts of her. "Mo…more…!"

"Strea…I want…can I…?"

It took Strea a couple seconds to understand what the boy meant, and also to become aware that he had stopped his pleasurable ministrations. She was unable to complain about that, though, upon noticing that he had once again turned them around and was hovering over her with barely restrained lust, the most important part of his anatomy rubbing against her own, making her understand why she felt as if something within her was about to explode.

"Go…ahead…" she whispered with a voice so soft and deep she barely could recognize as her own, clouded by something alien to her.

The girl was unable to further ponder upon that as, with a look reflecting pleasure and excitement, Kirito _entered_ her.

For an instant, Strea froze once again, feeling as if every single one of the parts that made up her mind, all the systems and processes, all the routines that let her act like a person and interact with the world around her as she did so, crashed, suffering their equivalent to a Blue Screen of Death.

Then, all of that stopped mattered as the loudest moan so far escaped her, a flood of unknown and familiar sensations literally consuming her whole, like fire that didn't actually burn her, but was still enough to make her entire existence feel at the edge of a being incinerated.

There was nothing with which she could describe the pleasure…and yet, the happiness she was feeling overwhelmed her even more than that.

After all, at that moment, in that very instant, she had become one with the one she loved the most in the world, the person she wanted nothing more than spending the rest of her life with.

Was this what true happiness felt like?

"I love you…I love you…I love you…" repeated the girl as she stared into the eyes of the boy with which she was sharing the closest act of physical intimacy possible. "I love you…Kazuto…"

Something within his eyes seemed to shift at that, as if he had been struck by a bolt of lightning. It didn't occur to Strea, that it had been the very first time she had called him for his _real_ name.

And then…

"I love you too, Strea."

Her entire self froze. Suddenly, the very Existence of the MHCP-002, codename 'Strea', stopped mattering.

She no longer felt her body, that virtual avatar in which her 'sister' had put her in so long ago. She no longer felt any of the systems or routines that let her know she was an Artificial Intelligence, all of them having apparently vanished from her perception.

And yet, something even deeper, something that she couldn't describe but she could, without a doubt, call 'herself' (And that she would no doubt call 'soul' if she was human), still beat, faster and harder than it had ever before.

Because he had meant it.

Even if he didn't know it, even if he didn't realize it at that moment, or even if it hadn't been his intention…he had truly and honestly meant every single one of those 5 words.

He loved her.

Strea didn't know when she had started crying again, but she didn't let that bother him, even as she reached towards his face and pulled him for yet another kiss, her legs wrapping around his hips as she mentally amended her earlier statement.

 _This_ was what True Happiness felt like.

Once again, she felt her entire body and mind being consumed by overwhelming sensations and stimuli she couldn't fully comprehend when Kirito took her actions as a cue to start moving, filling her again and again with pleasure and excitement, happiness and longing, satisfaction and desire…

A part of her knew this probably wasn't how 'the real thing' actually felt. After all, there was no actual pain there in the virtual world, so many of the sensations that humans associated with the act of sexual intercourse…or lovemaking, as she preferred to call this, were no doubt absent.

However, none of that mattered to the red-eyed girl. Even the pleasure overwhelming her didn't really matter in the end, nor the almost-hunger with which she ground herself against the black-haired boy, or how their mouths sought each other yet again.

All that truly mattered to her was that, at that moment, they were one, and that he loved her just as she loved him.

The newest sensation came from the deepest part of her once again, but different. This one felt more physical than all the others, and she had a moment to wonder at how realistic someone had chosen to make the virtual world and everything within it as she felt her body going over an edge she didn't even know she had until that moment, moaning endlessly into her lover's mouth as she clamped her legs and arms around him, wishing to never let go more than ever.

An unknown and searing warmth filling her deepest part was her surprising reward, making her feel a pleasure unlike any other and a warm happiness of unknown origin even as she felt the suddenly tense form of Kirito slowly coming to a stop, relaxing and breathing harder than she had ever seen him do after any battle as he slowly slumped over her for a moment.

True bliss consumed her even as, slowly, their bodies separated, the disappointment she felt at that lasting but for a brief instant as she felt him pulling her close again, his eyes meeting hers as their breathing slowly returned back to normal.

"That…was…" mumbled Strea while trying to make sense of what she was feeling, quickly deciding it didn't matter and opting for just kissing the boy again, something short and chaste this time, before snuggling against him and smiling as if not even the end of the world could ruin her mood. "Thanks…Kirito…"

"No…Strea…thank you…" whispered Kirito as he embraced her, feeling both the exhaustion of the act and the pleasurable warmth of their current position starting to overcome him. "Remember that I…that all of us…are always here for you…"

"I know."

And with those last words, both of them drifted off to sleep, feeling happy and at peace.

A few hours later, when Suguha went to wake him for dinner and asked him if he had managed to 'cheer up' Strea…Kazuto would quickly show that he was unable to keep some things a secret from anyone close to him.

As for Strea? Well…once she was back home, Yui would simply stare at her in confusion before shrugging and heading to her own bed, deciding it was better not to question why her sister had suddenly decided to sleep naked.

The smile on her face seemed to indicate that whatever was bothering her no longer did so, at least…

* * *

It may have been the happy humming. It may have been the smile that seemed so bright it could illuminate all of Alne and split her face. Or maybe it may have been the way in which she seemed to all but skip from one side of the room to the other every time she needed something instead of walking.

Whatever the case, it was IMPOSSIBLE for any of the UHA's members to not notice Strea's abnormal and sudden change in mood the next day during the morning, perhaps like ten times more obvious than her previous subtle 'depression'.

In most cases, it was just worrying/weirding out most of the group, with the exception of Silica, Yuuki, and Lisbeth, who were staring from her to the tired and blushing form of Kirito, who was trying his best to pretend he didn't exist by keeping his face glued to the table, and Asuna and Leafa, who wore complicated/resigned expressions on their faces as they sat on the boy's sides.

"Hey, Kirito…you actually did it! You managed to cheer Strea up!" congratulated him the Imp with a bright smile and a thumbs-up, even as the black-haired boy groaned something unintelligible against the wooden table.

"Yes…she certainly seems more cheerful. _Extremely_ cheerful, in fact…" mumbled the young Caith Sith with unusually empty eyes (And a noticeable blush) as she stared towards the overbearingly happy AI.

"…and how exactly did you…cheer her up…?" asked the Leprechaun blacksmith while STARING towards the gamer.

"We can tell you if you want to, Liz, but…well, I'm pretty sure it's not exactly going to stay a secret very long…" muttered the Undine with a reddish face as she looked towards their boyfriend.

"For the last time…I wasn't trying to 'cheer her' with THAT…it just ended happening because…reasons…" poorly excused Kirito while raising his face slightly from the table.

"Don't take it the wrong way, Onii-chan. We aren't blaming you or saying you did something wrong or anything like that, it's just…" apparently unable to properly think what she even wanted to say (And trying her best to ignore the headache Justice's not-so-positive rant about her dear adoptive brother was causing her), Leafa settled by just sighing and sending a troubled smile Strea's way. "I guess we _did_ promise her she could go next…"

"…am I missing something here?" asked Yuuki with clear confusion as she stared at the others that knew/had completely figured out what had happened.

Meanwhile, the MHCP-002 still seemed lost in her own happy world, with apparently nothing that could make her come down from cloud nine…until a sudden thought made her stop, a small frown appearing on her face as she pouted and crossed her arms.

Yui, being the one closest to her, was the one who noticed it first, suddenly worried once again about her little sister and quickly rushing to her side.

"Strea! Is something wrong?!"

"Uh? Oh no, nothing is wrong, Yui-nee!" assured the older-looking virtual girl before sighing as she shook her head in disappointment. "I was just thinking how unfair it is…"

"Eh? What is?"

"That I can't have any children." shamelessly admitted Strea with a bright smile, causing everyone in the room to freeze, trip, choke on nothing or fall from their chairs, even as her 'big sister' stared at her with comically wide eyes. "After all, I think I would make a very good mother! And I'm sure our babies would be beautiful, don't you think, Kirito?"

And as Asuna's 'prophecy' of last night's events not remaining a 'secret' for very long became true and chaos ensued as the other members of the group demanded an explanation (Or trying to discreetly get away, in the other boys' case)…the red-eyed AI felt once again those dark whispers in the back of her mind, beckoning her to unleash the Darkness within, though this time they almost seemed to be pleading…

And Strea dismissed them with laughable easiness, sweeping them aside and banishing from her mind like someone would to some annoying fly, the Voices from Beyond being crushed without effort under her newfound self-assurance and uncontrollable happiness.

On her back, Gram's form shimmered for an instant, the Concept of [Darkness] within it finally coming fully under its new master's control…even if it would take a long time for her to even _realize_ what she had done.

Right at that moment, though, Mental Health Counselling Program 002…Strea the Gnome…no, the young girl in love, didn't care at all.

After all, as far as she was concerned, everything was right in the world.

And she wouldn't change that for anything in the Universe.

* * *

 **Author's Notes:** Maaaan…I can't believe I actually did it!

So, what did you think? Was it good? Decent? So cringy I should never do it again? However it may have been, I hope I did at least a nice job portraying Strea's reactions…I wanted them to seem as 'realistic' as possible, in the sense that once I started to think how an AI would feel while making love for the first time, it actually became an interesting challenge to write. Also, she's totally going to be happily describing with utmost detail how she 'became a woman' to anyone from the guild who asks, in case you were wondering XD

As this is happening right after the UHA's time in GGO, I tried to make it obvious but at the same time with as little references to Playing with Bullets' actual events so that you can fully enjoy them later. Also, if you have read the latest Interlude from OPG:CoF, some indirect references to this were actually made there :P

But with that said, I gotta say you all goodbye once again, folks! Next chapter of this will be the 'Concert for Heroes', which will contain Ordinal Scale Spoilers so be warned about that! (Doesn't mean it will be actually an 'Ordinal Scale OPG Version', btw. I explained long ago why that wouldn't exactly be possible and how different things were, this chapter shall be my way of putting 'to rest' everyone who wanted some OS in OPG but couldn't get it, so at least they know what happened with the characters there in this Universe XP). But before that, I should probably start OPG:CoF's next arc. Kirito and friends will meet two 'monsters' on the run…

That's for another time and not here, though! So, till next time, this is Saint, signing off!


End file.
